Study of Co-crystallization and Intermolecular Hydrogen Bondings of Poly(glycolide-co-l-lactide) Copolymers by Terahertz and Low-Frequency Raman Spectroscopy

Visualization of isothermal crystallization and phase separation in poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate]/poly(L-lactic acid) by low-frequency Raman imaging

The visualization of the variation of the inter/intra molecular interaction (C = O⋯CH3) between poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) and poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) in the PHB/PLLA miscible blend during phase separation and crystallization process was successfully investigated using Raman imaging. Images of the blend were developed using high- and low-frequency Raman spectra acquired during the isothermal crystallization of the blend, and both of them were compared. The low-frequency region allowed to observe the changes in the hydrogen bonds between the molecular chains in the blend during phase separation and crystallization via a band at 75 cm-1 derived from PHB. The imaging results obtained using the band at 75 cm-1 due to hydrogen bonding (C = O⋯CH3) between molecular chains were in good agreement with the results obtained using the C = O stretching band at 1720 cm-1. Herein, we demonstrated that the low-frequency region of the Raman spectrum is more sensitive to detecting the start of the phase separation and crystallization of PHB than the corresponding high-frequency region.

Study on the crystallization behavior and conformation adjustment scale of poly(lactic acid) in the terahertz frequency range

The observed properties of crystalline polymers are determined by their internal structure, which in turn is the result of their different crystallization behaviors. Here, we investigate the crystallization behavior of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) at varied temperatures. We find that the changes in the chain packing and conformation of PLA are characterized by THz spectroscopy. Combining X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (IR), we attributed the blue-shift of the THz peak to the tightness of the chain packing, while its absorption enhancement is caused by the conformation transition. The effects of chain packing and chain conformation on the characteristic peak are phased. Furthermore, absorption discontinuities of the characteristic peaks of PLA crystallized at different temperatures are observed, which originated from differences in the degree of conformational transition caused by different thermal energies. We find that the crystallization temperature at which the absorption mutation of PLA occurs corresponds to the temperature at which the motion of the segment and molecular chain is excited, respectively. At these two temperatures, PLA exhibits different scales of conformational transitions leading to stronger absorption and larger absorption changes at higher crystallization temperatures. The results demonstrate that the driving force of PLA crystallization is indeed from changes in chain packing and chain conformation, and the molecular motion scale can also be characterized by THz spectroscopy.

Long-Term In Vitro Assessment of Biodegradable Radiopaque Composites for Fiducial Marker Fabrication

Biodegradable polymer-based composite materials may be successfully utilised to fabricate fiducial markers (FMs), which are intended to precisely label tumour margins during image-guided surgery or radiotherapy. However, due to matrix degradability, the stability of the functional properties of FMs depends on the chosen polymer. Thus, this study aimed to investigate novel radiopaque composites which varied in the polymeric matrix-polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (P[LAcoCL]) with two molar ratios (70:30 and 85:15), and poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (with molar ratio 82:18). The radiopaque component of the materials was a mixture of barium sulphate and hydroxyapatite. The changes in water contact angle, stiffness, and radiopacity occurring during the 24-week-long degradation experiment were examined for the first time. This study comprehensively analyses the microstructural causes of composites behaviour within degradation experiments using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), gel permitted chromatography (GPC), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results suggest that the utilized biodegradable matrix plays an essential role in radiopaque composite properties and stability thereof. This long-term in vitro assessment enabled a comparison of the materials and aided in choosing the most favourable composite for FMs' fabrication.

Study of Crystallinity and Conformation of Poly(lactic acid) by Terahertz Spectroscopy

During crystallization, conformational changes are often accompanied by the formation of interactions. Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy exhibits strong responses to the crystalline poly(lactic acid) (PLA). Therefore, we estimate the relative crystallinity and investigate the effect of conformational transition on the vibration of PLA by THz spectroscopy. By comparing with the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the validity of THz spectroscopy to calculate crystallinity is verified. Furthermore, the peak intensity of PLA at 2.01 THz increases with crystallinity. Combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the vibrational intensity of PLA at 2.01 THz is highly correlated with the contribution of gt conformation, showing a linear relationship. In addition, the vibrational peak of PLA also reflects the interchain interactions. We believe that the increase in peak intensity with increasing crystallinity originates from the effect of the dipole-dipole interactions between the carbonyl groups. Our study demonstrates the ability of THz spectroscopy to estimate the crystallinity of PLA, and the peak at 2.01 THz shows conformational and interaction sensitivities.

Terahertz spectroscopy for interpreting the formation and hierarchical structures of silk fibroin oligopeptides

Determining the configuration and conformation of peptides is crucial for interpreting their structure-property relationships. In this work, we present nondestructive terahertz time-domain spectroscopy combined with density functional theory (DFT) and potential energy distribution (PED) analysis to identify the hierarchical structures of oligopeptides. The characteristic THz spectra of silk fibroin oligopeptides have been measured. Supported by DFT and PED analysis, the intrinsic differences among the dipeptides were identified by the collective vibrational modes of "R" groups and terminal groups linked by molecular chains of amido bonds or benzene rings. For tetrapeptides and hexapeptides, a few weak resonances and intensity differences were distinguished by the vibration mode of the molecular collective network formed by the interaction of amide planes and intramolecular hydrogen bond interactions. According to the THz absorption analyses of amide planes and intramolecular interactions within the molecular chains of silk fibroin oligopeptide isomer pairs, the formation and hierarchical structures were successfully interpreted using THz spectroscopy. This investigation develops a better understanding of the peptide formation mechanism, which further provides guidance in interpreting the formation of silk.